https://padlet.com/200516460/4m5xp4htgdd6 Progression of war sentiment en-us 2018-12-05 21:20:20 UTC 2018-12-11 21:47:09 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Ninja.png 200801937 https://padlet.com/200516460/4m5xp4htgdd6/wish/311610313 "i am not going to lose Vietnam. I am not going to be the president who saw southeast Asia go the way China went." 1963
No president wanted to be the first to lose a war. He was caught up in the mindset of winning, he didn't care to think about the lives of young men. His desire to increase the influence of American ideals is also shown.

"we are not about to send American boys nine or then thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves" 1964
He has finally thought of his boys at home. He realized it is not our war to fight. If Vietnam wants to go our path, they must fight for it. we will aid them, but we can't fight their war for them

"Our objective in south Vietnam has never been the annihilation of the enemy. it has been to bring about a recognition in Hanoi that its objective-taking over the south by force-could not be achieved." 1968
The U.S. and the communist nations are competing for influence around the world. The U.S. is there to establish their dominance, and influence.]]> 2018-12-05 21:32:15 UTC https://padlet.com/200516460/4m5xp4htgdd6/wish/311610313 200801937 https://padlet.com/200516460/4m5xp4htgdd6/wish/311610756 "Our long-term objectives are... to see installed a self-governing nationalist state which will be friendly to the US... We have an immediate interest in maintaining in power a friendly French Government, to assist in the furtherance of our aims in Europe." Department of state. 1948
These may have been the initial objectives of the Vietnam war, but as it progressed and as the years became a decade, the embarrassment of bearing beaten by poor guerrilla troops was enough to fuel the flames of the American war engine. Furthermore

"It became necessary to destroy the town to save it" 1968, U.S. major after Viet Cong overran city in the Mekong Delta during Tet offensive
The Vietnam war was one filled with senseless killing and misunderstood purpose. America fought to aid the french and for fear of a southeastern Asian communist block, but for a large populace of the soldiers that went overseas they didn't feel know what they were fighting for. The soldiers feared for their lives leading to the senseless killing scene in the quote.

"We are fighting a war with no front lines, since the enemy hides in the jungles and mountains, and uses covertly border areas of neutral countries. One cannot measure [our] progressive by lines on a map", -general William C Westmoreland April 28 1967
The guerrilla techniques that the Vietcong used against the North and Vietcong were specially created to fight a larger force. They had been fighting for decades against the french and Japanese, both larger more technologically advanced forces. This is how they held out for so long and continued to hold out


]]> 2018-12-05 21:33:52 UTC https://padlet.com/200516460/4m5xp4htgdd6/wish/311610756 200801937 https://padlet.com/200516460/4m5xp4htgdd6/wish/311610839 My solution to the problem would b e to tell them frankly that they've got to draw in their horns and stop their aggression or we´re going to bomb them back into the Stone Ages" -
Many Americans did not understand the struggle of why the North Vietnamese were fighting. The main reason that America wanted to win that came about after the initial reasons of supporting the french and anti-communism, was to not lose.

"if the Buddhist wish to have another barbecue Ill gladly supply the gasoline and a match." -Tran Le Xuan, better known as madam Nhu  or "the Dragon Lady," dismissing the rule of her brother-in-law, South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, for whom she acted as an unofficial fist lady
Arrogance was not seen in just America as the Southern Vietnamese saw anybody who protested the war as a traitor.

¨I refuse to believe that a little fourth rate power like north Vietnam doesn't have a breaking point - Nation security adviser Henry Kissinger speaking in July 1969 to NSC aides as he charged them with developing a punitive military strategy that would coerce North Vietnam into negotiating on American terms.
America did not want to lose the war and saw the Vietnamese as a poor third world country. It was hard for them to come to terms that even with out significant military might they were still holding out.

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